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Massachusetts College and Career Readiness Summit
January 8, 2008 Holy Cross College
Facing the Challenge of Increasing College and Career Readiness
Jeffrey Nellhaus, Acting Commissioner of Education Patricia Plummer, Chancellor Board of Higher
Education
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We have much to celebrate
• Massachusetts leads the nation in many areas– MA’s NAEP results top all other states– MA’s SAT scores place us at the top– MA’s standards and assessments are national
models
• We are making gains in our schools every year – 87% in the class of 2009 met the Competency
Determination standard on their first try– MCAS scores in grades 3-8 rose after two flat years – Many schools have improved enough to move out
of accountability status
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But we have room for improvement
- Achievement gaps start in the earliest grades and persist.
- Too many students, especially Blacks and Latinos, don’t graduate from high school.
- Too many of our graduates enter college and need remedial help when they get there.
- Too many who enter college never graduate.
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Graduation Rates for Class of 2006
1 111
5
18
36
9787
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100
Class of 2006: % Graduating in 4 Years (All students)
Num
ber
of Sc
hools
AYP Target = 55%
5% of schools did not meet the
current target in the aggregate
86% of schools had a graduation
rate above 70% in the aggregate
Note: The graph includes schools with at least 100 students in their 2006 graduating class.
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For every 10 ninth graders…
We are losing too many students along the “Educational Pipeline”
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Only 8 graduate from high school…
We are losing too many students along the “Educational Pipeline”
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Only 6 enroll in college…
We are losing too many students along the “Educational Pipeline”
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Only 3-4 earn a degree.
We are losing too many students along the “Educational Pipeline”
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In urban areas, the numbers are worse:
In 9th grade
High school graduates
In college
College graduates
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2
4
6
We are losing too many students along the “Educational Pipeline”
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Why is this Happening? Too Many Graduates Are Not Prepared for
College
• 29% of the class of 2005 (about 17,000) enrolled at a MA public institution of higher education in fall 2005
• Of those students, 35% required remedial coursework in their first semester
– 66% at community colleges
– 22% at state colleges
– 8% at state universities
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The Work that Lies Ahead:Goals for the Summit & beyond
• Increase the percent of students who graduate college and career ready- Focus on low income, struggling, and first
generation students
• Increase postsecondary degree attainment and career opportunities for graduates– Improve the alignment and expectations
between high school and higher education
• Improve outcomes for youth– Strengthen regional secondary, postsecondary,
and workforce partnerships
